Ionic liquids
Ionic liquids are organic salts that are liquid at room temperature. Because they are salts, they show no volatility. Moreover, they show a high thermal stability. Together this allows for them to be used as green solvents as alternatives to volatile organic compounds. These properties can be used in the pre-treatment of lignocellulosic material by dissolving the material and separating the lignin.[1]
Feedstock
Ionic liquids are capable of dissolving lignocellulosic biomass. Examples inclue corn stalks, rice straw, bagasse, pine wood, and spruce wood.[1]
Process and technologies
Ionic liquids have been shown to dissolve cellulose, which can decrease its crystalinity and therefore make it more accessible for further processing. Moreover, a full dissolution of lignocellulosic biomass can be used to extract the lignin. The technology can also be combined with hydrolysis to make the cellulose available as sugars for further processing.[1]
Product
The final product of the process depends on the exact combination of technologies. Generally, a large part of the lignin can be extracted. The resulting lignin is one of the products, the other begin the remaining lignocellulosic material, where the cellulose is more easily available for further processing.
Technology providers
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Currently no examples yet.
Patents
Currently no patents have been identified yet.
References
- ↑ a b c Sang Hyun Lee, Thomas V. Doherty, Robert J. Linhardt, Jonathan S. Dordick, 2009-04-01: Ionic liquid-mediated selective extraction of lignin from wood leading to enhanced enzymatic cellulose hydrolysis. Biotechnology and Bioengineering, Vol. 102, (5), 1368–1376. doi: https://doi.org/10.1002/bit.22179